Teaching four year old daughter to ride

[annieapple7]

Hi ladies
Any tips on teaching your children to ride? My daughter had been on the pony for a year on lead rein and can do rising trot. Where do we go from here?

Is the pony good off lead rein? Do you have a school to ride in? My mare has been fine for lead rein and learning to walk and trot but my 6 year old has gone to a riding school to learn to canter + more because my mare can't be entirely trusted with that!

But if your pony is good, I would suggest your daughter would now need to work on controlling the pony herself first at walk, then at trot. If you have a school, you can set up little obstacle courses for her to practice controlling the pony herself. It would also be a good idea to help her balance with plenty of time with no stirrups, and on lead or lunge, no reins.

The pony is only 4 so hasn't been off lead rein so I can't work out how to bring them on when they are both learning! What you have done sounds a good idea. I just wonder if she is a bit young to go off the lead rein, although she is tall for her age. I think I can just about run fast enough to canter them! Did you try lungeing MEO?

We don't have a school, just a little paddock fenced off which would be ok to walk and trot in.

She would be fine to go off the lead rein at 4, the main thing is that her feet go past the saddle flaps though!

But with a youngster it would probably be a good idea to put her in riding school lessons on a 'done it all' type riding school pony, and perhaps find someone more experienced to bring the pony on so your DD can also start to ride her own pony to back up what she does in the lessons.

Yes I had thought of that but where would I find a small enough experienced rider I wonder - pony is only 11 hands! What pony do you have MEO?

A small teenager could ride an 11 hh pony, unless the pony is very lightweight?

I have a 13hh gypsy cob type. :)

We were (still are!) in a similar situation to you(facility wise) when DD was 4 (she is now nearly 8).

She got her first LR pony at 2 and we just hacked her about the countryside on the lead to start with - walking and trotting.

By the time she was 4 we also led her off an experienced 15.1 cob so we could go further in safety.

We booked her into some lessons - on her pony - with the lady who teaches at Pony Club in her indoor school. This helped DD get the idea of steering and she could do rising trot by the time she was 3 (when she started going to little shows).

The most important thing we did, when she was 4, was to join her up to our Pony Club and she participated in their youngest lessons, did mini-camp (4yos-7yos) and by 5 she was doing little jumping courses - all on the lead rein of course.

DD is a very good rider - well above average - but she still stayed on the LR until she was 6 because we don't think children are mentally alert enough to cope with any unusal situations out hacking until that age.

In PC lessons, that were held over the Winter in an indoor school, we still had her on the LR for all activities until she was 6 because we didn't want her jerking the ponies mouth when steering over little jumping courses, learning to canter etc.

Cantering isn't easy for small people - especially if the LR pony isn't used to it. We actually bought DD an experienced First Ridden pony to teach her to canter and she has now schooled her old LR pony to canter off the lead as well because he'd never done it before. Otherwise it would have been the blind leading the blind and she'd never have sat to his exhuberance.

Ask around at school/Pony Club to see if you can find 8-12yo children to school your pony for you. They should know enough to make it work on the bit, canter, jump etc.

Thanks for the replies - I did wonder whether I would be better off selling the little pony (but not very good at selling ponies) in favour of something a bit bigger that I could also ride, solving the schooling problem. I think I will arrange a few lessons in the meantime (£30 for a one to one half hour lesson ) and ask around for a little rider.

I'd advise against trading up to a bigger pony too soon. DD's first ridden is a 12.2 Section B schoolmaster and is just about big enough for DW to ride but would be too much for a 4yo. Best to stick with the little pony until your DD is big enough to trade up - recognising that bigger ponies also take bigger tack so she'd be swamped.

Agree with Butkin. I'm very against over horsing children. My DD is 12 and still rides a 12.2 pony. She fits him perfectly. She can still fit shetlands at a push. She has ridden much bigger ponies, and even horses, but only very recently when her confidence has been strong.
OP where are you? If you are in the midlands, we have a friend at a riding school near Towcester who runs the PC centre and does fantastic tiny tot lessons and is a lot cheaper.
Whether your DD is able to take the 4th pony off lead is entirely dependent on them, if your DD is confident and calm, and the pony is the same, it might possibly work.
Maybe you could look into someone to come out and teach them together. At £30 per hour in the school it's not out of the realms of possibility. A local tack shop may be able to suggest someone.
Try making a roundpen for them to ride in safely. Or teach her on the lunge so you have ultimate control.

30 pounds seems a lot if you're riding your own pony - and I'd also say that 1 1/2 hours is too long for a 4yo child (would need a fit pony for that long as well).

DD goes to our Pony Club lessons(sorry to keep harping on about this but it is a good indicator)on Thursday nights over the Winter.

There are 6 children per class (4 classes starting with LRs/children from 4yos)and they have an hour - split 50/50 flat with jumping. Even the LRs jump with their mummies/daddies. These cost 12 pounds per session and are ideal for the little ones.

Id be asking everyone horsey I knew for recommendations for instructors. I got very lucky for DD. A random bloke I met in the pub where I work, turned out to be an olympic level rider from the Czech Republic and a qualified vet. He is over here breaking and bringing on young horses, and reschoooling older horses. He gives DD12 lessons on her pony for £10 and she helps him out with his (safe)horses for free, gaining experience and technique as she goes. You never know who might be able to help you. Pony club is great, but there are also loads of experienced people out there who could help. Look for anyone who comes recommended.

Didn't want to hijack this thread but seems to have stopped so hope this is ok. It has been useful as I am teaching my DS (3 yrs in March) to ride. Currently just leading him in walk and the odd jogging trot for fun (he bounces and giggles, I hold his leg, just in case). We are pracising standing up in stirrups at halt, to work towards rising trot - is he too young to learn rising trot do you think? I wondered if anyone had any ideas for fun things I can do apart from endless walks around the lanes and fields. I am also 5 mths pg so treking miles in wellies is making my feet sore! Really want him to be stay keen and not get bored so any ideas welcome, from those of you who have done it all before. TIA

Not a lot else I can suggest Else. When DD was 2/3 and going on hacks we just tried to keep her happy by singing songs etc. If they can "up, down" to the songs then he may get the idea. Will just come with practise.

I remember being able to recite - from memory - the whole of the Gruffalo to DD on hacks. One of our woods was "the Gruffalo Wood" and we used to always peer in to see if we could see anything.

Making the hacks enjoyable is the most important thing at this time.

We used to have traffic cones,poles and other obstacles, and used to build a handy pony type course in the menage boggy patch in the corner with bark chippings and the little ones used to work round it on a loose lead rein. Basic steering through weave cones, stop in the box of poles, do round the world, all sorts of things. The ponies were very smart and usually worked out that the game was follow the leader! It helps build the little ones confidence and they soon catch on to the rudiments. If there are two or more riders available, try really basic gymnkhana games at walk, or get them working in pairs doing musical ride type manoevers.
Try and make everything fun. I make the tinies and often the grown ups giggle, by telling them that to stop, they need to imagine that they have pooed their pants and are trying to squish it up the back of their trousers!

Cuntyoldclothcatpuss - do you mind giving me the details of your riding school friend near towcester please? I've been looking for somewhere for my dd to learn.

Sorry to hijack.

Moptop I've PMd you.

Thank you very much Butkin and Saggy. I am doing it all alone and tis a bit tedious even for me at the moment! Will try to be a bit more inventive with stories, games and songs.

Do you have your own paddock with room for a similar type of share? Could you advertise for someone locally to play with?

not much space sadly, just enough for pony and the two horses there, none of it mine! I am just lucky enough to have use of the animals and land as used to keep a horse with the owner here. Often invite friends' children round to ride pony but obviously can only do one at a time then, and think it makes it less fun for DS then , as he has to take turns! Would be a great idea though, someone to play with. There are donkeies here too, just being backed so maybe a possibility in the future, for fun. Thanks for good idea

Thanks for all the suggestions guys - I did take DD for a half hour lesson which cost £30 at a riding school which made me realise I can probably take it from here. I will also investigate local pony clubs butI know that will mean buying a trailer. I am in Porthcawl,South Wales.

elseilltellyourfather - I found keeping the riding short and not too frequent held DD's interest. Not much good for bringing a pony on though!

If only I were 8 stone I could ride the pony myself!

Thanks Annie, I have been taking him riding every (dry) day so probably been overdoing it a bit. REcently he has wanted to get off and splash in puddles so I end up taking the pony for a walk while he runs around for a while! He always says he wants to ride but will be good to try goin gto once/twice a week and see if he gets more excited.

Good luck with your DD, I'm sure you can take her further yourself for a while.